After a hard-fought win 1 -0 against Ettekijs the week before, our opponents at home were none other than the league leaders, Gast FC, boasting an impressive 100% record. Changing that statistic would be a tall order for Vets1, especially as our once plentiful squad was looking more and more like an episode of ‘Casualty’!

With Hosky, ‘5 fingers’ Lolo, Merry Xmas, Big Bas, Wee Brian and Tommy the Cat all watching from the sides, and with Rog, Lars, Bas and Nando all deciding to take a well-earned rest from the delights of playing top of the league in 6A, one could say that the squad was somewhat depleted.

Thanks to stalwarts, Capt Gus and Vice Benoit who thankfully agreed to step in from Vets2 (or more probably told to get out of the house!) we never the less fielded a decent team to face the best 6A had to offer.

The line-up read like an all-star cast from the film, ‘Escape to Victory’

Luc (Fr), Jacky Chan (Bel - I’ll tell you later) Simon (Eng), Roberto (It), Gustavo (Paraguay) Ledbury (Eng), Cian (Ire) Darran (Eng), Ossie Gutierrez (Hdz), Ben S (Slovenia), Mathieu (Fr).

With a line up like that surely the opponents would be shaking in their boots!

Well they didn’t read the script, and starting playing like a German world cup team (of the past). Their passing and movement was slick and it took a while for Vets 1 to get a grip on the tempo of the game. It later turned out that their n°9 had only recently donned the shirt of Toulouse and Charleroi and it showed. More importantly though, it seemed that when we had the ball we couldn’t pass to a guy in the same colour shirt.

After 15 mins, or possible 5, from a corner, they scored with a well guided header leaving Luc with no chance.

0 -1

The game followed a similar pattern with Gast FC having most of the possession without looking particularly dangerous. Rice, Knight and Ledbury were grafting in midfield but without much success. A few minutes later, another corner for Gast produce another goal. Their dangerous centre-forward climbing above Yearsley, mis-timing the header straight into ground only for the slow painful realisation to the whole of Vets1 that the ball was looping over Luc and into the net.

0 -2

A couple of other chances came and went for Gast, one of which was due to a very smart save from Luc coming out quickly and blocking a goal bound shot.

From there Vets 1 created their best period of play in the 1st half seeing Matt going close with an effort from the right and Darren creating danger from the left. The first half finished with Vets 1 getting a grip on the game and the back 4 of Si, Ced, Robbie and Gus finding it easier to cope with their danger men.

Half-time 0 -2

The 2nd half started very much like the 1st, Gast looking dangerous without creating clear cut chances and Vets 1 working hard but struggling to find any fluency. A change of personnel saw Benoit come on for Mikey.

The killer blow came around 15 mins into the 2nd half, an inch perfect cross field ball to their right winger left Robbie stranded, his excellent 1st touch left him straight in on goal and then with aplomb, planted a sweet right foot strike into the bottom corner. Great goal!

0-3

To their credit Vets1 never gave up the fight, and started creating 1 or 2 counter attacks of their own, one of which saw a nice move down the right, Matt charging in on goal chased by their full back. The shoulder charge on him inside the box belongs to ‘the good old days’ that sent Matt sprawling. ABSSA ref said nah, no pen. A few minutes later almost a rehearsal of the same move saw Matt in the same spot, in on goal. This time Matt gave the guy a bit of his own medicine sending him flying with a beautifully crafted shoulder charge, whistled again against him this time! Welcome to Abssa mate!

As Vets were getting into the game albeit too late, Gast were given a soft free kick given against Cedric. Their players were so incensed by their view of Cedric’s consistent fouling and kicking, they re-named him ‘Jackie Chan’, repeating the compliment time after time until Matt, Vets 1 version of Emmanuel Macron, ably and diplomatically reminded their player not to talk about a fellow Belgian to such terms and followed up with a beautifully disguised ‘French kiss’ on the guys forehead (a more subtle version of a Glasgow-kiss, ask Brian Lewis)

A few handbags were thrown followed by the usual outcome from an Abssa ref, both parties booked. From the resulting free-kick, they floated a high ball in towards the back post only for it to avoid all and sundry and found the back of the net!

0 -4

The last few minutes of play saw them score another, so memorable that the author of this review cannot for the life of him remember the circumstances.

Final score: Vets1 0 – 5 Gast

A harsh score line and a harsh lesson of what the necessary level is to be a top team in this league.

Despite the score line the fact that we never gave up and mainly stayed positive throughout left us in no doubt that better days were ahead!

A surprisingly positive atmosphere surfaced in the bar afterwards, even Jackie himself partaking in a beer instead of his usual tipple, a litre of coffee!

Man of the match was a close affair between Ced, Simon and Carl. Carl winning it courtesy of him wearing his winter jacket from last year with votes gathered previously J

Reporter & MoM:

Carl Ledbury